Danny Ainge is actively trying to trade Rajon Rondo. No matter what Ainge said during his joint press conference with Doc Rivers, no matter how many times he carefully tried to avoid saying he was openly shopping Rondo, no matter what a Hornets source told Gary Washburn about Ainge not shopping Rondo, it’s becoming evident that the truth is otherwise.

Ainge is not actively trying to trade Rondo for just anyone. He is trying only to trade Rondo for Chris Paul, widely believed to be the NBA’s best point guard, or for Stephen Curry, who would then be swapped for Paul. The proposed end result of Ainge’s madness always ends with Paul in green and white, teaming with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen for at least one season of what-if, then re-signing (or not re-signing) with the Celtics when his free agency arrives at year’s end.

Ainge is willing to acquire Paul without any promise the All-Star will remain in Boston beyond 2011-12. Whether Ainge believes that strongly in his own persuasive powers — that he will be able to convince Paul (and maybe someone else, possibly named Dwight Howard) to become Boston’s future — or he simply believes Paul is the key to maximizing the Big Three’s NBA title chances in the coming season, Ainge would reportedly roll the dice without any assurances. Ainge is willing to trade Rondo, whose ridiculously-below-market-level contract expires after the 2013-14 season, for one season of Paul, one season to try to convince Paul to make Boston his permanent home. In other words, Ainge is willing to trade Boston’s lone building block for the future in exchange for what might amount to a one-year rental, but has the (however slight or strong) possibility to leave Boston with the world’s best point guard for the foreseeable future.

What we know for sure, or what we believe we know for sure based on what the world’s top NBA reporters can agree on, is surrounded by a layer of questions, all equally as perplexing as the next. Allow me to take a stab at answering some of them.

Why is Ainge pursuing Paul so aggressively?

I’ve thought about this question a lot and narrowed it down to two primary reasons: 1) Paul’s a better player, and 2) Ainge would make out with his mother if he felt it would improve the Boston Celtics. Ainge has come to the conclusion, right or wrong, that Paul’s talents outweigh Rondo’s and are worth risking the possibility of entering the 2012-13 season with only Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley under contract.

Would trading for Paul, then losing him to free agency, kill Boston’s immediate future?

Yes or no. But probably yes. If the Celtics enter the summer of 2012 with just Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley under contract, there’s no attraction for Dwight Howard. Nor would there be one for Deron Williams (unless the pair miraculously decided to join Boston together, despite the fact that no superstar free agent has ever signed in Boston). The second-tier unrestricted free agents in 2012 are Andrew Bynum (whose knees are made of Jermaine O’Neal), Tim Duncan (who will be approximately 84 years old), Steve Nash (who will be even older), Jason Kidd (who could be Duncan’s grandfather), Gerald Wallace and Jason Terry. All are decent players. None would make the Celtics’ future seem much less bleak.

Assuming that neither Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen retire after this season, the two would be free agents who the Celtics could presumably sign and give the Big Three yet another chance. But if you think the Big Three could contend as a nucleus in 2012-13, without Rajon Rondo, you probably need to wash the rust that’s accumulating on your brain. Basically, if the Celtics trade for Paul, it’s re-sign or bust.

Why is Boston’s offer for Paul considered second-rate?

I still don’t understand this. The Hornets reportedly value Stephen Curry more than Rondo. A package of Curry, Klay Thompson and Ekpe Udoh reportedly holds more value than a package of Rondo, Jeff Green and two first-round picks. Huh?

Rondo’s resume: two All-Star appearances, two-time All-Defensive First Team selection, one championship, the best playoff performer (by far) for a team that went to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Boston’s best playoff performer for the past three seasons (marred only by his elbow injury this season), second in the NBA in assists last season (just 0.2 behind Nash), occasionally inconsistent production, tough hombre who normally rises to the occasion of big games

Curry’s resume: zero All-Star appearances, zero playoff appearances, a terrific shooter, average playmaker, candidate for Tim Kawakami’s annual All-NBA No-Defense Team (Kawakami, a Warriors beat reporter, should know as well as anyone) and someone whose presence actually made the miserable Golden State Warriors defense worse, albeit very slightly

Keep in mind, Rondo’s just two years older than Curry and already has NBA Finals experience. I realize Curry’s a better shooter and scorer. Far better, even. But considering how much more Rondo has accomplished in his career, understanding Rondo improves by miles every season and realizing that the Celtics’ reported deal is even sweetened by multiple draft picks, how is Golden St.’s package better than Boston’s? I’m confused. It just doesn’t make sense. Of course, for all I know, the rumors might have been leaked by a New Orleans front office executive looking to extract more talent from Danny Ainge’s pocket. Who knows?

I could do the same comparison using the Hornets’ reported infatuation with Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan. Am I crazy, or is Boston’s reported offer simply better than either of those teams’?

Why might any potential Chris Paul trade be controversial?

The NBA currently owns the Hornets. If Paul ends up in Boston or any other big market, conspiracy theorists will soon be shouting through megaphones, picketing with signs and throwing bricks through windows.

How will Rondo react to all the rumors?

Let’s pretend the Celtics don’t trade Rondo. At this point, it seems like the likely outcome. Ainge will try to explain the rumors by telling Rondo something to the effect of, “But at least we tried trading you for Chris Paul and only Chris Paul, not anyone lesser.”

But here’s the thing: Rondo considers himself the league’s best point guard and has for years. Trying to trade him for a player Ainge considers better isn’t just likely to hurt Rondo’s feelings. It also attacks Rondo’s supreme self-confidence, one of the pillars on which Rondo has built his career. That confidence won’t go away anytime soon. But his trust and appreciation for Ainge (and perhaps Doc Rivers) sure might. Rondo can be an emotionally fickle guy. These rumors, even if that’s all they amount to, won’t help.

The difference between the current Rondo trade rumors and the 2009 Rondo trade rumors is this: Then, the Celtics were shopping Rondo because he misbehaved too often. Now, they’re shopping him because they think they can acquire a better player. Should Paul be traded elsewhere, the effect of these trade rumors on Rondo might be far greater (and worse) than they were two years ago.

It’s reasonably safe to say the New Orleans Hornets will trade Chris Paul before this season. And by “reasonably safe,” I mean it’s okay to bet your car, house, first-born child, Dawson’s Creek limited edition DVDs,  14-year old Tamagotchi egg, Pogs collection and Jerome Moiso autograph.

Adrian Wojnarowski reports a number of teams believe the Hornets will make a deal by Friday, when training camp begins.

Three teams in pursuit of Paul believe the Hornets will push for final offers – and make a decision – by the start of training camp on Friday, front-office sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Clippers’ and Warriors’ packages are the most intriguing to New Orleans general manager Dell Demps, league sources said.

In two days, the Celtics could very well know which All-Star point guard they’ll begin the season with. Either way, they’ll enter a Christmas Day showdown against the New York Knicks in good hands.

The Boston Celtics are reportedly “uber-aggressive” in their pursuit of Chris Paul, but the Hornets are thought to be “lukewarm” on Boston’s offer, said to include some combination of Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Jeff Green and/or two draft picks, plus-or-minus one of Boston’s two rookies. The Hornets, though, are reportedly interested in acquiring Glen Davis, and could be intrigued by a package highlighted by Davis and Rondo.

That opening paragraph is a maze. Just read on. (Boston Herald)

Glen Davis could end up playing a part in all this, no matter which way New Orleans goes. The C’s unrestricted free agent has received interest from the Hornets during the past couple of days as they try to put the right pieces around Paul that might make him want to stay (no doubt it will take more than the forward to sway Paul).

But if New Orleans decides there is no way it will be able to retain Paul, then Davis, a Louisiana native, could be a welcome component in a Celtics package that surely will be headlined by Rajon Rondo. And, according to a source, said package would have to contain more than those two players.

I don’t know what to think anymore. The Hornets want Stephen Curry more than Rajon Rondo. The Lakers are trying to acquire two of the NBA’s top six players without parting ways with Kobe Bryant. A trade package of Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan would reportedly be one of New Orleans’ top choices, and a package of Curry and Klay Thompson is another top choice, but a package including Rondo, Jeff Green and two first-round picks elicits a lukewarm response.

NBA rumor season: It’s nuttier than your craziest uncle, and twice as unpredictable.

On the first night of free agency, Danny Ainge was presumably busy calling a myriad of potential targets, looking to fill Boston’s roster as well as he could. According to SLAM, none of those calls went to Delonte West.

Reportedly snubbed by Ainge on the first night of free agency, West is interested in joining the Los Angeles Lakers and has previously told SLAM he would love to reunite with Mike Brown.

Delonte West may be going Hollywood.

The 28-year-old free agent spent time during the lockout working on a self-produced reality show. Now, according to a knowledgeable source, the guard is entertaining calls from the Los Angeles Lakers.

If he were to sign with L.A., West, who spent the 2010-11 season with the Boston Celtics, would be reunited with Coach Mike Brown, who was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers when West played there from 2008-10.

“I love Mike Brown,” West told SLAM when we spent time with him this past summer. “I mean, he’s a great guy. Too good. what else can you ask from a coach? He tried to do everything to keep everybody happy, keep the personalities happy [in Cleveland].”

Meanwhile, according to the same source, the Boston Celtics did not contact West on the first day that teams were allowed to reach out to players directly (though they have reached out to his representatives).

Call West, Danny. Call him over and over again. Call him when you’re drunk. Call him when you’re sober. Call him when you’re hungry and want a platonic date for dinner. Call him when you need someone to watch the football game with. Call him just to hear his voice. Call him and tell him you like his latest rap song. Whatever. Just let him know you’re interested, Ainge. Delonte West is a winner, he could come reasonably cheap, and the Celtics could really use him. This isn’t the time to play hard to get.

Gilbert Brown, an undrafted, athletic wing from Pittsburgh who Danny Ainge began recruiting even before the NBA lockout began, will attend the Boston Celtics’ training camp, Brown’s agent told A. Sherrod Blakely.

Despite Brown’s college career that was mildly underwhelming from a production standpoint (he never averaged more than 11.3 points per game while in college), Ainge is reportedly enamored with Brown’s potential as a defensive standout who can make stand-alone triples. Brown, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing, shot 41.3 percent from behind the arc during his senior season, making 43 trifectas.

Ainge is so smitten by Brown’s sleeper potential that he told Brown he could be the next Wesley Matthews, referring to the undrafted free agent who played his way into a $34 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.

“He (Ainge) told me I could be the Wesley Matthews of this draft,” Brown told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Of all the teams I worked out for, Danny was the most excited to have me in. He really feels like I can make their team and contribute the first year. He was really confident in my ability. He felt like I stood out in my workout.”

A league source told Blakely he thought the Wesley Matthews comparisons might be a stretch, but did see Brown as someone who could develop into the type of lockdown defender the Celtics could certainly use.

In speaking with a league source whose team had Brown in for a workout, he said, “I don’t know about the Wesley Matthews comparisons. I don’t think he (Brown) shoots the ball that well, and I don’t think he can score the way Wesley does. But the Celtics don’t need that. He gives them a guy who has the potential to be a really good defender, the kind of defender they haven’t had since Tony Allen, really.”

Brown spent the lockout playing in Germany for S. Oliver Wurzburg, but had an opt-out clause to use in the event the NBA lockout ended. It’s unlikely the team begged Brown to stay, since his role on the team — where he played behind former Purdue Boilermaker Chris Kramer and former UMass Minuteman Ricky Harris, among others — was relatively small.

Despite multiple reports to the contrary, SI reports that Shane Battier is still considering the Boston Celtics.

Battier’s list still includes the Heat, Spurs, Pacers, Raptors, Grizzlies, Celtics and his former Memphis team. The Thunder have also had discussions with either Battier or his camp. The team-to-player conversations might matter more with players like these than with so many others, as a clear understanding of roles, goals and, of course, financial incentive will come into play.

I’d love Battier in Boston. I just don’t see how he’d sign for $3 million when another team (aka the Heat) can offer him more money and a better chance (damn it, I hate saying this) at winning a championship.

P.S. – Though my shaved head looks like corn rows, there’s no truth to the rumor I simply want Battier because I have a syndrome commonly referred to as “Battier Head.” He’s just good. That’s it.